After years spent curiously exploring the world, we have landed safely back in our home town of Atlanta with our family.  But don’t worry!  We are hardly sitting around!  Instead, we have found the land of opportunity to be everything it has promised to be.  Starting with buying and fixing up our own Spiffer Upper in the Burbs, we have since go on to open a Real Estate + Design business where we get to spend our days Helping Others Find Their Way Home.

Filled to the brim with travel photography and collected items, the House of Valentina shop is a paradise for the wanderlusting soul.  Along with the House of Valentina Online Journal and our YouTube Channel, we are sharing all our recent finds and continuing the adventurous spirit of Traveling Mama.

Here is just a little sample of what you will find waiting over there… We hope you will join us and continue the adventure with us!

The post appeared first on Flying House.

TONS has been going on.  Some of you might have already heard on the House of Valentina, but just in case, I wanted to let you all know that… we are moving to AMERICA!!

My husband’s work situation suddenly changed, our house here in Copenhagen was sold, and oh, yeah, just this little thing called a passion for creativity kicked us into making the big decision.  We STILL don’t know where we will end up, but we are going to have a BLAST finding out!

Nine years of encouragement on this site has changed our lives and we could not be more thankful for all your love and support!

The post appeared first on Flying House.

We are gearing up for another year of traveling with our kids and teen!  I realized recently that our daughter, Hailey, is turning 15 in a few weeks and felt so nostalgic over all the years we have spent traveling and living abroad with her.  We were just laughing with her about the plane ride we took across the Atlantic when she was still a baby.  She was cranky and could only be settled by the pacifier, which she had spat out and lost under the seat in a fit of anger.  That was in the first hour of a nine hour plane ride.  As you might imagine, we went immediately and bought 10 more of her favorite pacifier for the ride home!

With as much as we have traveled, it’s rare that we see a travel related gift that feels special and unique, so imagine my surprise when I came across Uncommon Goods,  an online boutique packed with many gifts that are fun, unique, and definitely uncommon.  I have rounded up a list of some of my favorite Travel gifts for kids and teens, because amazingly, I found tons of cool stuff that either had a fun, new twist or was just something I had never seen and absolutely need for our upcoming travels! 

1. Color The Earth Kit:: Kids of all ages will love having a globe of their own to color.  You could even guide them to color code their globe, differentiating places they have lived, places they have visited, where loved ones live, etc!
2. All Aboard Travel Book Sets :: Take kids on a journey through American and European cities on a chugging choo choo train.  Designed by a mom of an adorable toddler, the sweet illustrations are sure to inspire many adventures!
3. Children’s World Map :: Sure to ignite little imaginations, this laminated map features the seven wonders of the world, the solar system, types of clouds, and biomes (ecosystems), plus loads of animals and major landmarks.
4. Dear Dad Arts & Crafts Book:: Let Dad lead the way with creative and imaginative ideas that pack well and make travel fun!
5. My Comic Book Kit:: What could be more entertaining on a long car ride or a plane ride with the fasten seat belt sign on than a comic book that kids get to create themselves?  After you get home, kids can send in their work and receive a bound copy in the mail, complete with an “about the author” page!
6. The First Adventures of Incredible You :: What kid wouldn’t love to hear an adventure story where they score the starring role?
7. Foreign Language Blocks :: As a family who has learned several foreign languages over the years, anything that can make it enjoyable goes a long way.  These blocks are fun to build with and create teaching moments.  Double score!
8. My Grand Adventures DIY Journal :: Filled with playful prompts and 32 interactive, offline activities like a “what if you were President” section where kids choose their own Cabinet, kids will have plenty to keep them busy on long journeys, though you might find them enjoying this one at home as well!
9. NYC Floor Puzzle :: Playful, bright, and inspiring, this floor puzzle is certain to create a hunger in kids for the Big Apple!
10. Storymatic Kids Game :: With fun little story prompts, this game has all the makings of fun, entertainment and loads of imagination!

1. Diana Instant Camera :: Capture fun and unique shots with this special camera that are so in with teens right now.
2. Fox Sleep Mask ::  Make sure to catch all the zzz’s possible on long journeys while looking super cute, too!  (The are handmade in Estonia!)
3. Tribal Blanket Cosmetic Bag :: Not only does this bag give beautiful tribal blankets a new lease on life, it’s practical for travel, as well!
4. Scratch Map :: This super cool map allows you to scratch off the places you have visited.  How fun is that?
5. Personalized Coloring Book :: Adult coloring books are all the rage for a reason.  They are awesome and so is this one that is ready for your teen’s name to be added!
6. Shadow Weave Tote :: As a mom of an animal obsessed girl who loves to travel, this bag ticks all the boxes.  It’s cute, it’s practical, and the purchase of this bag helps to support WWF’s vision “to build a future in which people live in harmony with nature” with a portion of net proceeds donated to WWF.
7. Heart Marks The Spot Pillow :: Home is where the heart is, but the heart on this pillow can mark an upcoming trip or even a dream destination!
8. Organization Bag Set :: Travel can be a messy business.  These bags keep suitcases neat, clean, and pretty!
9. Arrow Envelope Wallet :: Designed in New York, made in Cambodia, this wallet is practical, but extra special because it helps women in need.  Each item is made by survivors and women at risk of human trafficking in Cambodia, and proceeds help to fiscally empower these women.
10. Scratch Travel Journal :: If you have a teen who loves to document and organize, this travel journal will be love at first write.  (Bad Pun intended.)

The post appeared first on Flying House.

January absolutely whizzed by and I wanted to pop in and say hello and catch up a bit.  What have all of you been up to?  Hopefully not nearly so cold as us!  We have had lots of snow, freezing rain, fog, and wind that bites straight to the bone.  Thankfully, winter looks beautiful on Copenhagen, though…

Just today the sun came out and shone with such brilliance that I  had a moment of true light heartedness.  The darkness both outside and within dissipated and everything felt like it would be ok.  The tulips in every florist are another source of light and happiness.  They are truly a magnificent sight and thankfully my husband doesn’t mind the sudden pink infusion in our home.

I got new glasses and found a moment of enlightenment in January that being a strange bird is better than a chameleon.

We have been reimagining some of our spaces and even got the year started with a DIY for covering your books with linen.

We have some super exciting stuff planned for February and look forward to sharing more adventures with you!  I update daily on House of Valentina, but will definitely be here at Traveling Mama as we kick into travel for 2016.

What about you?  Do you have big plans for 2016?  Do you plan to travel anywhere fun?

The post appeared first on Flying House.

The holiday season is busy and there is nothing better than finding a little extra time here and there to relax.  We’ve been posting about our adventures in decorating, gift wrapping, and holiday making on House of Valentina, but just in case you haven’t seen, we’ve got some ideas that will provide some last minute Christmas ideas that will save you time, keep you on budget, and maybe even give you a little R&R in the midst of all the celebrating!

We have videos on the new YouTube Channel + photos for each of these projects!

Creating Beautiful + Quick Gift Wrapping has never been so easy (+ go on a little outing with me in Copenhagen!)

Looking for last minute cookie recipes to try?  Give these delicious (and easy!) Almond Sugar Cookies a go!

Whether you are decorating for your guests or want to treat your rooms to a last minute winter floral arrangement, my Winter video is loaded with ideas + easy diy’s that will only steal a moment or two of your time!

If you’ve got a few minutes and some extra ornaments, tie them to a branch and create a Christmas backdrop your family and friends will cherish!
Kids get restless without school and activities to keep them going nonstop, so get them involved with a great craft project, such as this removable DIY wallpaper.  We’ve got a video + a room tour!

Whether you need a last minute gift idea or one more thing to keep the kids from tearing down the house, these DIY pillows are super easy to make + Budget friendly!  (We’ve also got a full room tour with before and after’s!)

The post appeared first on Flying House.

It was never my intention to fall off the face of this blog, and quite honestly, those are words that I never thought I would utter after nearly nine years of showing up consistently.

As it turns out, my new blog, House of Valentina, has become an incredible delight for me, and has brought more opportunities for me than I ever imagined!  Everyone always says that you just have to step out and have a little faith in your dreams and I guess they were right!

At the same time, our youngest has been having a really, really hard time with school and I have had to spend more time focused on him to help him process through a lot of the changes he has gone through.  We switched his school a couple weeks ago and things seem to be improving but we’ve had some really rough days, some of it related to living in a foreign country and some of it not.  I’ll write more about that soon because, for now, I really want to chat about my current creature comforts (because isn’t that more fun anyways?)

My girlfriend, Jane, made me this beauuutiful cowl scarf that I have been wearing obsessively since the weather got cold.  Her work is AMAZING and so detailed… and she happens to have also decided to believe in her dreams and start selling her scarves.  You can see her Etsy shop here.  (You can custom order whatever color and size you like!)  I also love the larger sized one she sent me in an oatmeal color and even managed to grab a couple photos on one of the windiest days in Copenhagen!

My other favorites at the moment:  Chunky Sweaters over button down Denim shirts, Jungle Red or Dark and Stormy Lips, My Military Style Coat, and these booties!

What about you?  What are you up to these days?  Are the holidays keeping you super busy?

The post appeared first on Flying House.

I love when families contact us for their portraits because inevitably they want something different from what most photographers take.  (I guess we have that kind of reputation around town.)  Megan and I her family were hoping to capture a family date in Copenhagen since as expats this isn’t going to always be their life’s backdrop and they wanted something extra special for their Christmas card this year.  We decided to use our one hour shoot in the city center, visiting a favorite coffee shop, and roaming the streets.  Their family was so sweet and fun loving that I couldn’t help but include a few of my favorite photos when the girls really relaxed in front of the camera, added bunny ears here and there, and laughed a lot in between.

There were thousands of photos to sort through afterwards and over a hundred shots that I sent to Megan, but these are some of my favorite of the black and white ones.

If you are in the Copenhagen area and would like to book us for an upcoming event or to capture your family, contact me here!

A

The post appeared first on Flying House.

Ania, the author of The New Diplomat’s Wife and mom of two is back to share more of her experiences with traveling with kids!  Thanks so much, Ania!

Have you noticed that travel has become nearly a new form of rat race? You read definitive guide upon definitive guide on a place, and then there is so much pressure to instagram it, and photograph it, and make a video collage and montage and triage… You work to get through all the recommendations you’ve filed away on a place so that somewhere, someday you can write the newer and even more definitive guide. The cool thing about traveling with a baby is that you let that all go…first because you’ll have to, and later, you’ll find you do because you want to.

Traveling with a baby is the perfect excuse  – or the perfect scapegoat – for slowing down.  It might take you one or two trips to realize that you can’t quite keep your prior pace without making yourself and everyone around you crazy, but once you do, I think you’ll find it’s the most freeing admission you’ll make in your traveling memory.

A baby in tow on your travels means that days will likely start earlier, that it will take longer to get out the door, that breaks will be more frequent and that bed times will come sooner and not always be uninterrupted.  After all, most babies prefer to be on their own schedules, rather than follow yours – and that’s doubly true if there is jet lag involved.

But it also means that you yourself will slow down.  You’ll get to know hotels and their staff better.  You’ll learn that your hotel room actually matters because you’ll naturally spend more time in it.  Or you might bypass hotels altogether to stay more in apartments and home swaps, taking on the identity of resident in your chosen destination for just a little while.  You’ll realize how important it is to you when waiters and salespeople and total strangers take the time to be nice to your baby or hold the door or help out when needed.  Little connections start to mean a whole lot more than big landmarks.

Slowing down with a baby also means that you’ll be able to absorb the little corners of places more fully, like the cafe where you stopped to feed or the statue by the park bench where you sat to rock the baby to sleep.  New places that you travel to become your own places in a special way because there was a new little person in tow to share that moment with you.  Because that person is likely the most important person in your life, those memories really hold, regardless of whether you got a picture of it or not.

As your child gets older, you’ll be able to do more – the pendulum does swing back.  Eventually, you’ll find that you might even be able to return to your old pace, but I suspect, after getting used to all of this, you might not want to. That’s okay, just keep blaming the baby.  They won’t mind.

Photography: Valentina and Jack Fussell

The post appeared first on Flying House.

Our holiday Craftenhagen events are always my favorite every year.  With the chaos that surrounds the holidays, this November event is the perfect way to get into the holiday spirit with Christmas treats to eat, a warm fire aglow, and Christmas music while we get a head start on holiday preparation.

If you have never attended a Craftenhagen event, Christmas Cards 2015 is definitely one to consider if you will be in the Copenhagen area.  Each month a group of us creative ladies meets in my home to try a new craft, a great recipe, a new technique, or whatever it is that we have come up with.  We’ve done everything from Bread making and macarons to clay ornaments and home decor.  The group is open to anyone who would like to anyone who would like to attend and registration and details can be found on the Craftenhagen event page!

For this event I will be pulling out all the Christmas supplies and letting the attendants create designs that really show off their style.  Here are two takes I created, one that is cute and fun while the other is a little more of a blend of traditional and modern.

Photos: Valentina Fussell

The post appeared first on Flying House.

Jack and I were so delighted to help our dear friends create visual stories for their new rain boot company, NIBU, which was founded here in Copenhagen, Denmark.  With more than 120 rainy days every year (written while it pours outside my window!), Danes know a thing or two about rainy weather and they happen to be very stylish people, so those two things put together equals one truly beautiful boot.

NIBU offers a modern twist on the traditional rain boot with it’s sleek and lightweight design with the goal of not only being the elegant rain boot for every season, but every occasion as well.  This is a boot that will take you from the forest, to the beach, to downtown, to even a night on the town.

We really wanted to capture the essence of NIBU through our stories, focusing on the style, the practicality, and the design.  From story boards, to style consultations, to the day of the shoot, we focused on these key aspects to create a visual stories for every occasion.  Here are a few of our favorite shots:

NIBU boots come in seven colors plus a bootie and our friends are offering our readers a 20% off discount from now until December 16th with the code: Valentina

Photography: Valentina and Jack Fussell

The post appeared first on Flying House.